In The Eyes of An Inventor
by Mizazu
Summary: MOTHER 2. It wasn’t long until those cheeks lightly dabbed with freckles felt the warmth of a blush, and those eyes beneath those thick-rimmed glasses saw the presence of love. Jeff x Paula, Oneshot


**A/N: This is my first time writing Jeff x Paula, since I thought that lacked it and it should at least recognize how cute the pairing is. Please excuse any mistakes, this was a late night drabble so I was quite unfocused while I was writing. Also, for those who picture her in a different way, I pictured Paula the second oldest in the party next to Poo. I pictured Jeff as 14-15, and Paula as 15-16. Thanks for reading!**

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As he brought up a fatigued, sleeved hand to his forehead, Jeff sighed, his quiet breath of fresh air vanishing as it was beginning to tinker with his delicate ears. The inventor was quietly brought together in an oak chair, his blue, almost invisible eyes focused only on the desk in front of him.

Scattered around the polished surface were all sorts of wires and mechanical parts that Jeff could easily tell apart from the rest. In a normal person's point of view, putting these countless trinkets together would take a lifetime, but Jeff was different: one by one, he is somehow able to put what seemed like a hopeless mess together, slowly, carefully and most precisely.

_That was the talent of a true mechanical genius._

Jeff took a look around the room. It was empty, ever since Ness and the others told him that they'd be out playing in the grass and doing their shopping. Since those two hours ago, he'd been alone by himself in the quiet hotel room, doing nothing but occupying himself with fixing broken bottle rockets he managed to pick up the other day. It was boring, he thought in overall. Why did he have to be the one enclosed in a dusty room all day, putting together countless pieces of what could be a devastating, killer weapon? As much as he loved to put things together, he hated missing out any fun element of the day.

Jeff brought himself up a bit and shifted to his right to take a peek outside the dusty, only window in the lonely hotel room. The sun was partly hidden away, and the clouds were adrift in lovely shapes. The trees danced elegantly with the breeze, as did the healthy blades of grass. Before he knew it, Jeff's lips curled into a smile.

Oh, how Jeff loved nature! It was one of the only elements of his liking wherein he could choose to interpret with science or without. Trembling from his sudden movement in hours, Jeff stood up and stepped forward to the window, which held wonderful things in store beneath its dusty surface. His eyes widened in delight beneath his thick-rimmed eyeglasses, for before him was the lovely, beautiful maiden half of everyone was not aware of: Nature.

Jeff caressed the window's bottom rim with his soft fingertips and carefully slid the glass-supporting piece of wood upward, bringing the glasswork steadily with it. He pulled it up to about the same level of his chest, and afterward, extended a dusty hand outside the window, revealing the current weather outside. Jeff felt the warmth of the half-hidden sun shine upon his hand, and yet a cool breeze continued to blow gently against it. He felt his lips curl into a smile, again. This was the kind of weather he loved most; the kind that only brought its slightly dimmed light upon his hometown, Winters, once a year.

Turning back to his desk, he sighed. Jeff didn't have time to be enjoying the weather outside, for he had work to do. Bringing himself back onto the chair he had been sitting on for the past few hours, he jolted upward, hinting an idea behind the glasses he rarely removed.

Behind his idle glasses was a pair of lit-up eyes, an idea forming beneath them. He took out the green handkerchief his best friend Tony entrusted to him the first day they had met out of his pocket and laid it neatly on the desk in front of him. Quickly but carefully, he gathered all the small parts scattered on the surface onto the handkerchief and tied a knot between its ends, enclosing them inside. Once he made sure that the handkerchief was secure, he placed it neatly into his toolbox, closed it shut and carried it on his left. He then squeezed the bottle rockets he was working on under his right arm, and he was ready to go outside.

His agile footwork got him outside in no time at all. Taking a breath of fresh air and a good look around, Jeff tried to spot a good place to continue his work. It wasn't long before he located Ness and the others, and immediately rushed towards their direction.

"Oh, hey, Jeff," Ness greeted the panting inventor, taking notice of the tools and bottle rockets he had at hand. "Oh, those are the bottle rockets you're fixing?"

"Yeah," Jeff nodded slightly, raising the bottle rocket he had perched on his right palm. "I'll fix them here." Ness gave Jeff what seemed like a confused look. "Are you sure? Why outside?" He asked, though he knew Jeff wanted to get seated and working as soon as possible. Jeff's lips curled into an even straighter figure, his top over his bottom. "No reason," came his lie.

He nodded and slowly walked towards a spot under a tree, a spot he located while conversing with Ness. Along the way, he saw colorful birds, dancing butterflies and a meditating Poo in the middle of the field of grass. As he closed his eyes, he felt the gentle breeze blow away the hair on his forehead. It felt lovely, almost magical as he continued his stroll down the grassy hills. He paused upon arrival to the spot he had located earlier, only to have one question in mind: _Where was Paula?_

Jeff settled his body before mind down first, leaning his back against the tree that lay behind him. He had to admit that he was tired of bending over to see the smaller parts in his inventions, just to cope up with his nearsightedness. Just as his father had told him a few months back, glasses was never enough.

After he had rested, he laid out his bottle rockets neatly on the grass in front of him and his tool box next to them. He gently forced the top open and rummaged through his countless tools to get his hands on the handkerchief with his bottle rockets' parts enclosed. After undoing the knot that kept everything together, Jeff carefully laid the handkerchief in the grass next to him. He looked as if he were all set, but he still couldn't get that one question out of his head. Where _was_ that girl clad in pink, Paula?

Ness and Poo might have only thought of Paula as a friend, but to Jeff, it was an entirely different feeling altogether. He had been traveling with her and the rest for only a few months, but he couldn't help but notice that she held an innocence he had never encountered before; that she shed a light he could not help but be attracted to. It wasn't long until those cheeks lightly dabbed with freckles felt the warmth of a blush, and those eyes beneath those thick-rimmed glasses saw the presence of love. And that's when Jeff himself noticed that he was a lot happier, often cheerier around this older girl he noted a newfound infatuation towards.

Unwanting to divert his attention from his work any longer, Jeff immediately jumped back to his work. It was his first time working outdoors, since it was always too cold outside his boarding school in Winters. Now that he was in an entirely different climate, he felt the possibilities of his work extending by a mile, and he was happy about it. Always think about the possible possibilities, his science teacher Maxwell always reminded him. Maxwell wasn't there to remind him anymore, so Jeff had made it a point that he'd remind himself from now on. He smiled as he began his first repair outside while he began to reminisce his memories of his life back at Winters Boarding School, the only sheltered life he'd been offered by far. As he put together the scattered-out pieces, he started to wonder how everyone was doing back at home.

Jeff couldn't take it; there were so many things in his mind right at that moment. His old life, his repair, his father, _Paula_…

Right at that solemn moment, Jeff felt a sudden light weight pounce on his shoulders.

"Boo," a voice behind whispered into the inventor's ears.

Jeff felt his spine cringe as the breath of air caressed his ears. He looked to his right and saw a slim hand, gently massaging his tired shoulders. He shifted to his left and saw the same thing, assuming who it was.

"P…_Paula?_" his lips only mouthed, yet the presence behind him still heard. He dropped the parts he had at hand and dug his hands into his pockets, crossing his fingers in secret. The mystery voice giggled in delight, forcefully giving away her identity. "Of course, silly," came a pink figure from behind, looking down at the flushed inventor below her. "Hello, Jeff." Jeff's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink.

"Wh… Where've you been?" Jeff stuttered, immediately shifting his eye of interest onto his bottle rockets. "I… I was, uh, looking for— I-I mean, wondering where you ran off to, Paula…" Paula giggled at Jeff's attempt to hide his nervous aura. "Shopping," she straightened her dress, settling herself down onto an available spot next to Jeff. Jeff felt his cheeks grow warmer, and his heart racing faster. "O…oh," Jeff nodded. _Stupid! _Where else could she have gone?

"I see you're fixing our bottle rockets," Paula glanced at the mess of tools scattered upon the green handkerchief in front of her. "Y-yes," muttered Jeff in reply. What would she think of him? Reconstructing bottle rockets, _outside_? Paula laughed. "It's alright," she smiled. "Of all the inventors I've met, you're the only one who takes work outdoors. I think it's unique of you." Jeff pretended to scratch his head to hide his deepening blush. "A-actually, this is my first time… and, y-you… you don't think it's weird?" he asked coyly. Paula shook her head. "Not at all," she smiled at the flustered inventor. "I think it's great to try new things." Jeff continued his ongoing repair, a happy feeling developing inside of him. "I guess you're right."

Long moments of silence passed as Jeff continued his repair, Paula settled next to him. He occasionally motioned for Paula to help him get something when his hands were full, while Paula hummed to happy tunes to interfere with the awful silence. Jeff managed to finish repairing one bottle rocket, which left him another half-finished one to fix. He was about to start putting the last pieces together, until Paula broke the silence.

"It's neat, isn't it," she smiled, picking up one of the parts left on the handkerchief. "Um… Come again?" Jeff replied, confused. His freckled cheeks remained as pink as ever despite the confusion he was feeling. "How a seemingly huge mess of trinkets and wires could actually make sense when put together," Paula directed her smile at the confused inventor. Jeff was amazed at how her delicate words meant the most to him and him alone. "Y…yeah," He nodded in reply, a smile curling up to his mouth. Paula noticed his sudden happiness, and smiled back in delight. "You could compare that newly repaired bottle rocket to life, too," Paula's hand combed through her exquisite, blonde hair. "Find the right pieces, put them in the right places, and a realization is made." Jeff's cheeks grew pinker. She was absolutely right! Jeff grew even happier; after all, Paula made him feel right at home, where his two friends Tony and Maxwell were the only ones who spoke of such sense. "With all these bad things happening, people don't know what they're building," Paula smiled, and then pointed to the newly fixed bottle rocket next to her. "You're lucky that you do."

Jeff was speechless. He didn't know that the words of an optimistic, teenage girl would touch him ever so deeply. Swiftly, but gently, Jeff embraced the girl he had always admired in his arms, and sealed their conversation with a kiss.

"By the way, Jeff," Paula straightened her dress as she got up to her feet. "You should smile more often. It makes you look cute." A smile crept onto Jeff's lips as he put the final pieces of his invention together. "Sure, Paula," he watched the girl dressed in pink walk to the direction of a wide-eyed Ness. "I'll do that."

His repair was completed successfully.

**FIN**

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**A/N: That was… long, wasn't it? Haha, I'm very grateful if you read it entirely, though. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!**


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